


Dating Your Husband

by hedwig4evr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, M/M, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Ministry of Magic Employee Draco Malfoy, References to Depression, Will add tags when I know where I’m going with this lol, falling back in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21574156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedwig4evr/pseuds/hedwig4evr
Summary: What do you do when you think your husband is cheating on you?  How do you cope when he hasn't looked at you, let alone touch you, in months?  Draco is at his wits end, and finally decides to confide in the two people that may be able to figure out what in the world is going on with Harry.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 18
Kudos: 179
Collections: 25 Days of Draco and Harry 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Harry James Potter! What in the here do you think you’re doing?”

Harry looked up from his place on the couch in front of the fireplace, biscuit half-way to his mouth.

“Er, watching the telly?”

Draco clenched his fists as he took in his husband, who’d apparently floo’d home and immediately changed clothes; he was currently wearing his old Gryffindor sweatpants, fluffy socks, and his favorite Weasley sweater.

“And why, pray tell, are you watching the telly?” He takes a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger. “We are supposed to be at The Burrow in fifteen minutes!”

“What? Why?”

Draco gave him a scathing look, taking another deep breath. If he wasn’t careful, he might become a widower tonight.

“Because, our Godchildren are having their birthday party.”

“But, it’s Wednesday! Why in the here would they have a party in the middle of the week?” 

Harry was still laying in the middle of the couch, biscuit still in his hand. Draco could feel his face redden in anger more by the second. Seriously, love-of-his-life or not, he was going to kill him.

“Molly explained it during Sunday dinner! I know you and George were talking, but George even clarified! Charlie is in the country today and tomorrow only, so they are having it tonight! Get up! Get dressed! We have to go!”

Harry had finally sat up on the couch. He sighed, setting the biscuit down on the table and ran his hand through his hair and down his face. “I don’t feel like dealing with a family party tonight, Draco. I don’t want to go.”

“What do you mean you don’t want to go? This is your family! You have to be there!”

“I don’t, actually,” Harry said with another sigh. “I’ve had a long, exhausting day, and all I want to do is sit in front of the telly and relax. Why don’t you join me? It won’t be the end of the world if we don’t show up to one party.” He patted the couch seat beside him. “Come on, we can get take-out, watch a movie, and just enjoy a quiet evening in.”

Draco stood there staring at Harry. “We promised we’d be there, Harry. You promised, on Sunday. You told ‘Mione you would be.”

Harry sighed. “I just don’t feel like it. I’m too exhausted. You can go, but I’m not.”

He looked up at Draco as he reached for the biscuit, again. Draco gaped at him for a few moments, mouth opening to say something, but snapped shut as he looked up at the clock on the wall. 

“Fine. Great. Wonderful.” He pulled on his traveling cloak before he grabbed the gifts that he had sat on the coffee table and walked quickly towards the front door. As he grabbed the handle, Harry spoke up.

“Draco, I—”

He closed his eyes, not turning around to look at him. “Harry, I can’t do this for much longer. I love you, more than anything in the world, but I…” He took another deep breath, shaking his head. “I’ve got to go.” He stepped out onto the front stoop, twisting away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized late last night that when I posted this yesterday, I didn't have a summary on it, nor the picture that I was using for that day, nor an introduction... UGH!  
> In my defense, though, I was sitting on an airplane, waiting to take off, and knew that if I didn't post the chapter right then, I'd forget by the time I finally got home.  
> THAT BEING SAID, I'm really excited to be doing this fest again this year! I kept telling myself that I was going to write the story in its entirety, and then I'd only have to post it! Yeah, well, that definitely didn't happen... So, I may be late, and I may have to double up on pics, but IT WILL GET DONE, I PROMISE!  
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this story!  
> ~B

Draco landed on the edge of the Burrow’s property line. He paused a moment to let his anger die down and was immediately swept up in sadness. He didn’t know what was going on with Harry, and didn’t know how to even broach the subject.

He took a deep breath, forcing the tears back, and stepped through the gate, making his way to the front door. As he pushed open the door, he was assaulted by the sheer loudness that was the Weasley family. He smiled to himself. This will get his mind off things.

It had taken him a long time to get used to the sound of dozens of people in one place, but now he relished in it. He had had such a lonely, quiet childhood; it was thrilling to be a part of such a large family, now.

He stepped in and was immediately attacked by a little set of arms being wrapped around his legs.

“Unca Dwaco!”

“Well, hello to you, too,” he said, before quickly searching for a place to set the gifts down so he could pick up his goddaughter. Hermione came to his rescue, taking the boxes from him. He bent to pick up Rose, setting her on his hip and giving her a loud kiss on the cheek. “And how’s my favorite girl on her birthday?”

He leant over to give Hermione a kiss on the cheek as well and gave her a “we’ll talk later” look in response to her confused glance behind him.

“It’s my birfday!”

“I know. And how old are you, now?”

“I’m free!” she said, holding up three fingers.

“So grown up! And look at your beautiful grown-up dress!” He stepped farther into the room, spinning her around so her dress skirt flowed out from her body a little. She giggled, holding onto his neck as he asked, “And where’s your brother?”

“He’s tucked in with his Auntie Angie,” Hermione smiled, looking over to where Hugo was indeed tucked into Angelina’s arms, staring up at her chocolate brown eyes in awe.

Draco smiled at his Godson, before letting a squirming Rosie slide down his leg to the ground.

He stood back up and looked at Hermione, who was watching him. He could tell she was trying to analyze his face, and Harry’s absence, but seemed to think better of it as she suddenly said, “come on,” with a toss of her head. “Let’s get you a drink.”

“Yes, please,” he said as he followed her to the kitchen, greeting everyone he passed. As they stepped into the room, he was greeted, as always, by Molly bustling around, preparing a feast for the masses.

She greeted him with a kiss, and then swept off to pull something from the oven. Hermione made him a drink, and then ushered him back into the hallway. “Shall I get Ron, now, or do you want to wait until after dinner?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah,” he muttered with a sigh. “Might as well get it over with.” He watched as she nodded and quickly walked over to where Ron was standing.

She tugged on Ron’s arm, pulling him away from his conversation with George. He was confused until he realised she was walking him back towards Draco, and then smiled. 

“Hey, mate! Where’s Har— Wait. Really?”

“Let’s go upstairs.” Hermione led them up to Ron’s old room. Draco took a swig of his drink, as he sat down in the rocking chair that was put up there when Hermione was pregnant with Rose.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“What did he say?” Hermione asked as she and Ron sat on the bed, facing him.

“Not a lot. That’s part of the problem. I walked in from work, thinking he would be ready and just waiting on me, but no. He was laying on the sofa, sweatpants on, eating biscuits and watching the telly. He had no idea what I was talking about, and then just refused to come.”

They all sat in silence for a few moments before Draco took another drink and started again. “He won’t even talk to me, anymore. We used to have hours-long conversations, during dinner or while lying in bed. He’d tell me about his day, what you two had said at lunch, just random thoughts there were filtering through this head. I don’t think we’ve had a decent conversation since before his birthday. And—plug your ears Ron—I honestly can’t tell you the last time we made love. I just… Has he said anything to either of you?”

He looked between them, hoping they had some answers for what was going on with Harry.

“We had tea on Friday, and we saw you both at Sunday dinner, but he seemed fine. He was talking with George and Bill and laughing and cutting up at the kids,” Hermione said. She looked at Ron.

“We’ve been in the field the past few days, so we haven’t had much time to talk. But I did notice he got a lot quieter Monday after we were called to a domestic dispute. There were kids in the home, and it’s never easy to have to separate them from their families. Maybe that’s what’s got him so down?”

“Maybe. But like I said, this has been going on for months. Sometimes he just gets up and leaves, sometimes without saying anything, sometimes telling me he’s going for a walk, and then comes back hours later.” He sat there, and then suddenly had an idea; one he was sure had always been in the back of his mind but had never wanted to really think about until now.

“Is he… is he cheating on me?” The last words came out strangled as Draco, for the first time, really let himself think about such a thing. Hermione was beside him in an instant though, taking his glass out of his hand and setting it on the ground, before taking his hands.

“Draco, NO. He would never do that.”

“But, how do you know? He hasn’t touched me, let alone really looked at me in months. It makes perfect sense. He’s gone before I get out of the shower in the mornings and goes on his ‘walks’ right after supper. I just— Where are you going?”

Ron had stood up from his place on his bed and stepped towards the door, face turning red. “I’m going to pop by yours and have a little chat with my best mate.”

“Ron, no. You can’t just leave in the middle of your own kids’ birthday party.”

“I’ll just be gone for a few minutes. You’re my friend, too, Draco. Hell, you’ve been more of a friend than he has, lately, which, if someone would have told me that 15 years ago, I would have sent them to the Janice Thickey Ward. Let me slap him around a little. It’ll make me feel better about the whole thing, and maybe get you some answers.”

“No, it’s okay. Please. Not right now. Let’s go celebrate my godchildren, instead.”

“I’ll take him to lunch tomorrow and slap him around a bit then, how about that?”

Draco smiled. “That’ll be fine. Come on, I can’t wait for Hugo to open his gift!”

“Uh oh. What did you get him?” Hermione stood giving him a faux glare.

“I’m his godfather; it’s my right to go overboard and spoil him rotten on his first birthday! And just wait until Rosie opens hers!” He grinned mischievously. 

She sighed, glancing at her husband. “Why did both of our children have to be born only two days apart? And so close to Christmas, too?”

“Well, you see, you just can’t get keep your hands off me when I make you—”

Draco covered his ears with his hands, loudly saying, “LA LA LA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

They laughed as Hermione slapped them both in the back of the head as they made their way back down the stairs. When they walked back into the kitchen, Louis, Bill and Fleur’s youngest, thrust a plate of gingerbread men cookies at them.

“Uncle Ron! Gramma said you need to pass these around to ‘hold off the day-loop that she knows is coming, as supper has been pushed back a few minutes.’”

Ron laughed. “Deluge. But, if mum is offering us sweets before supper, who am I to complain? Come on, let’s feed the masses.” He took the plate, offering a cookie to the rest of the group, before making his way towards the others.

Hermione wrapped her arm around Draco, pausing his pursuit of a chair momentarily. “Seriously, Draco. Don’t you for one second believe what is going through your head. Harry loves you. Fiercely. We’ll knock some sense into him and figure out what is going on. Trust me.”

Draco tried to believe the earnestness coming from her, but he was still worried. “Thank you, Hermione,” he said meekly. “I just don’t know what I’ll do if…” 

“There’s no ‘if’ about it. And should the need arise, and you need a break, we have a spare bed,” she said with a smile.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then led her over to the sofa, sitting down beside Charlie and striking up a conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the time Draco walked through the floo, it was working towards 11:00pm. He’d had a wonderful time at The Burrow, joking with George, chatting with Charlie and Bill, eating WAY too much delicious food, and spoiling the kids with their gifts. 

Harry was nowhere to be seen, so Draco gently sat on the couch and relived the happiness of his evening before he went upstairs.

He smiled to himself at how upset Hermione and Ron were for him. Just as Ron had said, if someone had told him 15 years ago that he would be best mates with Weasley and Granger, he would have had them shipped off the St. Mungo’s. Now, though, spending time with them was as natural as breathing. And he was so thankful for their friendship.

Don’t get him wrong, he still spent time with his old Slytherin cronies, but he now had a weekly gossip lunch with Hermione, Luna, Pansy, Astoria, and Ginny (when she can make it), a bi-weekly chess match with either Ron or Blaise, and Sunday dinner with all the Weasley’s. His life was completely different than how he had ever imagined it would be, and he was grateful for it.

He had married the love of his life, too. It had taken a lot of atonement, but he had become friends first with Hermione. Once he started spending more time with her, though, Ron and Harry started being around more and more, and eventually, things just fell into place.

Draco started attending pub nights with their classmates, and then started spending time with just the ‘golden trio,’ to his astonishment. This caused him and Harry to get closer, as it seemed everyone was paired up except for them, so it was the next logical step.

One weekend, after close to 1.5 years of getting to know them, Harry had asked Draco round for dinner. Draco had thought that everyone was going to be there, so readily agreed, but was completely thrown off when he walked in, expecting to see his friends, and only found Harry, in a button-up shirt and slacks, standing in front of a candle lit dinner.

That had been the start of their romance. Of ‘officially’ meeting each other’s families as boyfriends, spending nearly every spare moment together, whether it be out to dinner, or just lying on the couch watching telly.

Then, barely two years in, Harry popped the question while on a winter holiday in the south of France, against a beautiful backdrop of a wintry garden filled with bushes of red holly berries. Draco had no qualms about instantly screaming yes.

Now, though…

Draco sighed as he thought back over the last six months. Harry had been so distant as of late. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said that Harry hadn’t touched him in months. Not even a kiss good morning, now that he really thought about it. 

He had to be cheating on him. That was truly the only explanation, as Harry had always been a very hands-on lover. At times, while they were dating, Draco had almost felt suffocated because Harry was always right by his side, or laying on top of him, or had his head on his shoulder. 

Draco felt a tear slide down his face. He slid his thumb under is eye to catch it, and then stared at his wet thumb. He let the tears flow as he tried to figure out what to do next. Confrontation? Go to a Couples Mind Healer? Just…leave?

His breathing shuddered as the silent crying turned into sobs. He curled himself up into a ball on the couch, putting a pillow on his face to try and muffle his crying, before succumbing to his mental and physical exhaustion and falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draco was awoken by the sound of the old pipes in Grimmauld Place. _Harry must be in the shower_ , he thought. He sighed as he sat up on the couch, rubbing his face. Another day, another excuse from his husband.

He stood, popping his back, and made his way up to their bedroom to get ready for work. He could indeed hear Harry in their shower. In the past, he would strip down and slip in behind Harry, both getting each other even dirtier. Now, though… He just decided to cast a light cleaning charm on his body and pulled on clean clothes.

He paused as he walked back past the bathroom door, contemplating on whether or not to say something to Harry, but then decided against it; he didn’t have time to deal with all that needed to be dealt with at the moment. So, he just made his way back downstairs to the floo, calling out for the Ministry.

He stepped out into the Atrium, taking a deep breath, and made his way towards to lifts, hoping to get to his office before his annoying office mate, Drumpkin, or better yet, Pansy. He knew she could read him like a book and didn’t know if he could handle her analyzing him right now. He managed to get a lift to himself and closed his eyes as he descended to his level.

He stepped out and was instantly greeted by a grinning Pansy—which he never took as a good sign—and cringed to himself; _so much for catching a break this morning._

“Good morning, Darling! Here’s your coffee, and the memos that were waiting for me this morning,” she said brightly.

“You’re in a chipper mood. What do you want or what did you do?” He schooled his face, hoping that she would see he wasn’t in the mood to chat, and he could get to work.

“I’m not chipper, I’m happy. Do you know what today is?” She walked beside him down the hallway towards her desk and his office.

“As I’m sure you are just dying to tell me, I’ll just leave you to it.”

She huffed, but kept up with his quick pace, stiletto heels squishing into the plush carpet. He didn’t know how in Merlin’s name she was able to keep steady, but she was now a pro at it.

“Get your knickers untwisted, darling. That look isn’t your style anymore, not since you and Harry became an item all those years ago.”

Draco felt his stomach twist at the mention on Harry, but quickly disregarded it to give his best friend a scathing look. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that since you two have been together, you’ve been happy. I like seeing you happy. I don’t like seeing that cold glare back in your eyes or on your face.” She pulled him to a stop. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” he immediately replied, glancing down the hall as a loud noise descended onto the floor, several of his coworkers stepping out of another lift.

“Liar. Hermione sent me a quick owl last night and said—”

Draco spluttered as he stared gobsmacked at her. Well, lovely to know his friends spoke about him behind his back.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Draco,” she hissed. “You know we all only want what was is best for you. For both of you. Anyway, she said something was up with Harry. What’s going on?”

He stood there for a long moment, staring at a spot on the wall beside her head, but not looking at her. Finally, he sighed and said quietly, “I don’t know.” Tears threatened to fall out of his eyes, so he tilted his head back and sniffed, willing them to retreat back into his eyes. “I honestly don’t know.”

Pansy was never the touchy-feely type, so he was startled as he was suddenly pulled into a hug. He stiffened for a moment before melting into her embrace for a brief moment, quickly pulling back and straightening his robes. She gave him a look that he couldn’t quite decipher, but quickly pushed it aside as he turned and started walking back toward his office.

“You never said, though, what is today?”

She blinked at him a couple of times before her face cleared and her grin lit up her face once again. “It will be in the evening edition of The Prophet.”

Draco stopped mid-step, turning to look at her. “Really? Today? But it’s already mid November! I just figured they’d wait until next year, in order to get more publicising done.”

“Today. The green one is the official memo,” she said, nodding down at the stack of papers in his hand.

He pulled it out and opened to see, sure enough, the notice that the Ministry would be sponsoring a Holiday Market Fair this year, with cooperation from France, Bulgaria, Romania, and several other European countries. 

Draco, who worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, had been working tirelessly to put together an initiative for a Fair, with multiple shops, food, and an ice-skating rink, for a start, for the European Wizarding public.

“You know what this means, right,” he asked, looking at her with a smile.

“We need to get to work?”

“Indeed. Come on, we’ve only got three weeks to pull this together.” _This will definitely help keep me from dwelling on The Harry Problem,_ he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draco was right. He’d been so busy getting everything ready for the Market, working with the foreign committee members to get everything ready for opening day, he’d not had a single spare moment to think about Harry. That’s not to say that he hadn’t seen him, nor spoken to him, but he had spent several nights sleeping on the couch in his office, or just collapsing on the sofa in their living room, never making it to their bed.

He knew that Ron had indeed had a chat with Harry, but he’d been so busy, he didn’t know if anything had come from it.

He sighed as he looked around himself. They were just hours away from opening. In the initial plans, Draco had recommended that they use some land on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The committee and Minister readily agreed, and so they’d spent the last week turning an empty field into a winter wonderland. There were rows and rows of little shops with handcrafts from different countries, food vendors from all over the world, a magical skating rink (while real ice, if a person were to fall, the ice would cushion them) as well as other rides and fun for the entire family.

He stood in the middle of the finishing chaos, instructing people on where to set up the booths and carts. In the near distance, he could see the ‘Welcome to Hogsmeade’ sign and smiled a sad smile. Harry had brought him to Hogsmeade when they were first dating. They walked around the shops, had lunch at the Three Broomsticks (Rosemerta and Draco had had a chat during their 8th year, and were on good terms now) and just spent a lovely day holding hands and being together.

He sighed as he cast a tent into place. He missed those days, if he were being honest with himself. He missed his Harry. 

Shaking his head, he turned around and saw a group of people gathering in a tight circle. He walked towards them, trying to figure out what was going on, and was beyond shocked to see Harry pushing through the crowd, his arms laden with what looked like cups and muggle to-go containers.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks as Harry made his way through the crowd, eyes searching. When Harry saw him, Draco was shocked to see a large smile grace Harry’s face. He stood still as Harry made his way towards him.

“Hey, baby,” Harry said with a smile, as he got close enough for Draco to help him.

Draco’s breath caught in his throat; he hadn’t heard a term of endearment come from Harry in months.

“H—hi.” He cleared his throat, eyes wide, staring at the man in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

“I, er, I brought you lunch. If you want? And, er, I was hoping that we could talk? I know you’re busy, but please?” He offered one of the cups to Draco.

Draco stared at the man before him, wondering what was going on. This was the most they had spoken in weeks. But, seeing the fear and trepidation in Harry’s eyes, Draco couldn’t make himself say no. He had missed him so damned much.

“Yeah, come on, we can sit over here.”

He led Harry over to a set of tables and chairs, sitting down. Harry sat across from him, setting the food down. He opened the containers to show Draco food from their favorite Italian restaurant just down the road from their home.

“I got you your favourite,” Harry said as he pushed a container with Shrimp Scampi across the table. “I put a warming charm on it, so it should stay the perfect temperature until the last bite.”

“Th—thank you.” Draco’s mind was a mess of emotions as he looked at Harry. What was going on? 

Harry waved his wand, setting up a bubble of silence around them.

“What did you want to talk about,” Draco asked quietly, taking a small bite of his food.

Harry took a deep breath, staring at the table. “I… Baby, I’m so sorry.” He looked up at Draco. “I know I haven’t been myself lately, and I’ve been ignoring you, and starting fights. I never meant for you—”

Draco’s breath once again caught in his throat. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his stomach was clenched. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of his team trying to set up another tent and putting up signs. He looked back at Harry, who was once again staring at the table, his food sat to the side.

“Draco, I—”

“Harry, I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work. We only have three hours before the foreign ministers get here for the final inspection, and it opens just an hour later. Can we please finish this later?”

“Yeah, yes, of course. I’ll, uh, see you at home?”

“Yes, I’ll be home around 6. I just want to make sure everything is running smoothly, but I don’t need to stay the whole night.”

“Okay, great, I’ll have supper ready.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” 

Harry nodded as Draco walked away, his lunch still sitting on the table. He did need to get back to work, but he also just didn’t think he could sit there and listen to Harry just yet. He turned his head back to see Harry blow out a deep breath, running his hand through his unruly hair, before picking up their food.

_Focus,_ he scolded himself. _Get through the opening, and then we can see what is going on._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I suck. Real life has not been kind the past couple of days. Oh, well, it may take a few extra days, but this will get done!
> 
> This chapter is angst filled, but it should be getting happier from here! Thank you for reading!

Draco apparated onto the top step of their stoop. He was exhausted; showing the dignitaries around the market, making sure all last-minute things were completed, and then overseeing the first crowd of patrons make their way towards the field was tiresome work. At least he had the next two days off.

He stepped into the home and was immediately assaulted by a delicious smell. When they had moved in together, Harry had cooked dinner for them when he could. He had told Draco that although there were certain foods he would never make nor eat again, thanks to his family, he had learned at a young age that cooking was fun. Draco had just shook his head, aghast at how wonderful of a cook Harry was, but how horrible at Potions he was.

“They’re totally different,” Harry had argued.

Putting his coat on the hook and setting his bag next to the chair in the den, he made his way down to the kitchen. Upon entering the room, he saw Harry stood at the stove, stirring a pot of something that smelled divine. The table was set for two, candles lit, and wine sitting out to breathe.

Yet again, Draco could feel tears forming behind his eyes. This was normal. This was his Harry. He stepped into the room and said a quiet, “I’m home.”

Harry whipped around, wooden spoon in his hand, and smiled. “Hey. Welcome home, love.”

Draco couldn’t believe what he was seeing, let alone what he had just heard. “What is all this?”

Harry set the spoon down and cast a stasis charm on the pot. He stepped over to Draco and took his hand, leading him over to the bench at the table.

“Ron and I had a chat the other day,” he said, staring at their clasped hands. “I didn’t realise…”

He was quiet for several long moments. Draco took a breath, pulling his hand back from Harry’s, and asked quietly, “Are you cheating on me?”

Harry quickly raised his head to look at Draco. “What?!”

“You—you haven’t looked at nor touched me in months. You haven’t really spoken to me in months. You leave for hours at a time, and then come back even more quiet than before. You don’t want to go with me to events. Are you cheating on me?” His throat felt tight as he looked up at the emerald eyes he had loved since they were in school.

“Draco, baby, no!” 

“Why don’t I believe you,” Draco cried out.

“You have to believe me! I love you! I know I’ve been a shirt husband recently, but you have to let me explain. Please!

“Ron yelled at me. He told me what you three had spoken about at the birthday party. About your fears. But you have to know what has been going on, please.”

Draco searched his face, trying to find any evidence of betrayal, but instead saw nothing but fear and sorrow. He scooted back on the bench so he could see Harry clearly, and nodded his head.

Harry went to reach out for his hand again, but apparently thought better of it as his hand dropped into lap.

“I’ve been… depressed. Like, clinically depressed. I’ve… er… been seeing a Mind Healer for the past four months.”

Now it was Draco’s turn to yell, “What?!”

“Yeah.”

“Harry, why would you not tell me this?! Why would you do this alone? What is going on?”

“I… I’m embarrassed. I survived a war. I _died_ in said war. And yet, I didn’t feel the need to see a Healer. But now… I needed to be able to talk to someone about what has been going on.

“And you couldn’t talk to me?”

“Believe me, I wanted to. So much. But, like I said, I was embarrassed. ‘The Great Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived’ is supposed to be the strong one.

“It started on my birthday, actually, when we went to Hogwarts; when we were sailing across the lake, just like back in first year.”

“My… my present is what caused this?” Draco could feel his chest tightening with every breath and with every word from Harry. Tears were flowing freely down his face, now.

“Draco, sweetheart, no. Please, hear me. You did nothing wrong. This…my brain…oh, love, come here.”

He slid forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Draco, who clutched tightly to the back of Harry’s shirt. He sobbed; this was the first time Harry had hugged him in months.

“Shhh, love. Please.”

“I’m sorry. This is about you, and I’m making it all about me,” Draco said, pulling back and wiping his face.

“No, this has to do with you, too, but not in the way that you think. As I said, I’ve been seeing a mind healer two times a week, for the past few months. That’s where I go in the evenings. Well, two nights. I… I have also been taking a class. A… er… a glass blowing class. It helps take my mind off of everything.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell me this? I would have understood. I would have tried to help in anyway I could. Harry, I thought you were cheating on me. I was considering divorce! Why would you—”

Draco could see tears running down Harry’s face, too. “I didn’t know how to tell you I was damaged. That I needed help. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Harry, you’re not damaged!” Draco had again scooted forward, practically sitting in Harry’s lap, as he once again gripped his shirt in a fierce hug. “You’re my husband. This relationship works two ways. You have to talk to me, so we can figure out the problem, and vanquish it together.”

“I know that now. I’m sorry. I just thought I could do it by myself. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

They clutched at each other, crying into each other’s shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draco woke the next morning with Harry’s arm wrapped around his middle. Merlin, that felt amazing. 

They had stayed up late the night before, talking and crying and listening to each other. They hadn’t even eaten the dinner that Harry had made, instead asking Kreacher to put it away for later, and collapsing into bed in emotional exhaustion, well past midnight.

He carefully turned over, Harry’s arm still over his middle, and snuggled into his chest. He’d missed this; he’d missed his Harry.

Speaking of, he had no more than gotten comfortable against his chest, than Harry breathed deep and tightened his grip around him.

“Hmmm, good morning.”

“Good morning,” Draco said quietly.

“This is nice.”

“Yeah, it is. I’ve missed this.”

Harry sighed. “Me, too. I’m sorry, love.”

“Enough apologising. I understand why you did what you did.” They were quiet for a few moments, just holding each other. “Just… just promise me you’ll talk to me if something like this happens again? You don’t have to do this alone.”

“I promise.”

“Good. So, what do you have planned for today? Do you have to go to…the healer?”

“No, my appointments are on Tuesday and Friday evenings. And my classes are on Monday and Thursday. I… er… when I need to get out of my head on the other nights, I take my cloak and just walk around. A couple of times, I apparated to the coast, and just stared at the ocean for hours at a time. One time I went to Shell Cottage, under my cloak, and sat at Dobby’s grave.”

Draco sat his chin the back of his hand on Harry’s chest and reached up with his other to caress Harry’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over his dimple. “Oh, love, I wish you had just told me. I don’t know what, or how, but I could have done something.”

Harry looked down at him. “I couldn’t have, though. I wasn’t ready for anyone else to know. The only person that had any idea was the healer.”

“I’m so proud of you for going, though. I hate to imagine…” He sighed.

Harry lifted Draco’s hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I know, me too. I had to go to Mungo’s for my quarterly checkup back in August and saw a flier while waiting on the healer. I pocketed it and kept it in my desk drawer for about three weeks before I read it.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me, too.”

They lay there for several long moments, just looking at each other, Harry lightly scratching Draco’s back.

To answer your question, though, I’ve got nothing on for today. Do you?”

Draco shook his head. “Not a thing. The market is in the capable hands of Pansy today and tomorrow.”

“Why don’t we… you know… just stay in bed all day, then? It’s been a long time since we’ve done that.”

Draco leant up to give Harry a languid kiss on the lips. “That sounds perfect. Hold that thought just a moment, though; I really need to use the loo.”

Harry chuckled as Draco swiftly swung the blanket back, quickly walking across the room to the en suite. It wasn’t too long before he was walking back into the room.

“I like what you did with the room, by the way. I love having a Christmas tree in here.” He stopped next to the tree, taking a deep breath to smell the lovely pine scent.

“I’m glad. And I added all of these pillows, which I knew you would love, too.”

Draco crawled back into the bed, straddling Harry’s hips. “You know me so well.” 

Harry pulled him down for a kiss. “Yes, I do. I love you.”

Draco smiled against his lips. “I love you, too. So much.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Honey, I’m home!”

Draco leaned out of the kitchen door and yelled up the stairs, “Down here!”

He could hear the clunk of Harry taking off his shoes, and them him walking down the stairs.

He turned back to the pantry, trying to decide what to have for supper.

“Oh, good, you haven’t started cooking.”

Draco turned around, quickly kissing Harry, who had wrapped his arms around his middle. “No, I just got in, myself. There was a small problem at the Market that I had to take care of. What do you want to eat? I can’t decide.”

“Well, actually…” Harry paused.

Draco twisted around to look at him, putting his arms around his neck. “What?” 

“Well… what would you say about a date night?”

“But, it’s Tuesday.”

“So? It’s still early. We could go get something to eat, maybe walk around? Or, what about going to the Market? I want to see what you’ve been working on the past few months.”

Draco’s breath caught in his throat, eyes going wide. “Really?”

“Yeah. Do you think you could go, and _not_ get caught up in work? Just be able to enjoy yourself?” He smiled as he gripped Draco’s hips.

Draco grinned. “No promises, but I can try.”

“I’ll take it! Come on, I’m starving.”

They walked back upstairs, hand in hand, and put on their boots and heavy coats. They stepped onto the stoop, and Draco apparated them to the front entrance of the market. 

Harry wrapped his arm around Draco’s shoulders and said, “This looks amazing!”

Draco smiled, pulling him farther in. “There are shops over there, food on that side, and the skating rink is towards the back. There are also some muggle-type carnival rides, by way of the Germans. Where would you like to start?”

“Let’s get some food, and then wonder the shops? We need to start thinking of gifts for Christmas, I suppose.”

“Works for me. What kind of cuisine are you hungry for? There is nearly every type of European food available.”

“I don’t know where to start! Come on, let’s go take a look.”

They walked up and down the rows and rows of food options, before finally deciding on one called ‘Big Pan Foods.’ They split a meal (which consisted on potatoes, carrots, beets, corn, sausage, chicken, and cheese on top) and agreed that the pan was indeed ‘big;’ they were both stuffed.

“I can barely move, I’m so full,” Draco whined, leaning into Harry as they made their way towards to shopping stores.

“Agreed. Why did we think getting a dessert was such a great idea?”

“Don’t blame me! I tried to tell you it was too much.”

“I know, but it was delicious.”

“It was. That mousse was perfect.”

“It was. Are we sure we want to shop, too? I could just crash in bed right about now and be completely content.”

Draco looked around at the crowd of people and gauged his stamina. “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s go home; we can shop later.”

Harry sighed, grinning. “How about we come back tomorrow, eat something a little smaller, go shopping, and maybe ride a ride?”

Draco smiled as they wandered toward the apparition spot. “And maybe we can bring Ted out this weekend and go skating? I think he would love it.”

“That’s a brilliant idea! We haven’t seen in him in such a long time.” 

“And I’m sure Auntie Andy would enjoy a break. I can’t believe he’ll be going to Hogwarts next September.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Some godfather I’ve been lately. We’re going to have to spoil him rotten the next few months, so he remembers he loves us most.”

Draco laughed, pulling Harry towards him. “Want to remind me why you’re my favorite, too?”

Harry grinned predatorily, pulling Draco flush against him. “Now _that_ , I can do. Come on.” He spun on his heel, pulling them towards their bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That Friday, Draco got off a couple of hours early. He floo’d into their sitting room, and immediately was on edge; there was an unfamiliar traveling cloak thrown over the back of the sofa. He pulled his wand, and quietly walked towards the door.

Standing on the landing, he perked his ear, listening for any noises in the house. He heard a light shuffle upstairs, so he cast a Muffliato on his feet, and slowly made his way up the staircase.

Getting to the next landing, he realised the noise was coming from their bedroom. Getting nervous, he tightened his grip on his wand and took the stairs two at a time. He slowly walked toward the door, seeing that it was cracked open. He peeked around the edge of the door frame, and saw a shadow of a person, bent over, digging through the bottom drawer of their chest of drawers.

He jumped into the room, quickly casting an expelliarmus, a silencio, and an incarcerous charm at the person, before walking over to turn the person over onto their back, from where they tripped and fell. His heart was racing incredibly fast as he pressed his foot into their shoulder, wand pointed at their nose, several seconds passing before he realised it was Ron he was staring at.

“Ron! What the here are you doing in here?!”

Ron, who was wide-eyed, and turning beet red, tried to talk, but was still silenced. Draco huffed, disabling his charms, helping his friend up off the floor.

“You weren’t supposed to be home, yet,” Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I got off early. What the here is going on?”

“Err…”

“Ron! Did you find it? It’s under the— Babe! What’re you doing home so early?”

“Don’t ‘babe’ me! What is going on?!”

“Err…” Harry ran his hand through his hair.

Ron looked between them both before saying, “I’m just going to head out! I’ll see you Sunday for lunch? Great! Bye!” And walked quickly out the door, not waiting for an answer.

Draco glared at the back of Harry’s head, as he watched his best mate walk out of their room.

“Are you going to tell me what is going on, now?” Draco asked, putting his hands on his hips.

“Well… I, um… needed Ron’s help in finding something.”

“What something?”

“A, er, present that I had bought you for our anniversary, and never gave you…?”

“Wait, what?” Draco shook his head, trying to comprehend what Harry was saying.

“Well… come here, let’s sit down.” He pulled Draco toward their bed, the bottom drawer still wide open, and things spread around it.

Draco turned expectantly toward Harry.

“Okay, so, for our anniversary, I had considered taking you on holiday, but then we had that big undercover raid in Bristol in May, you couldn’t get away from work during the summer, and then… I got sick. So, I just hid the travel itinerary, and pushed it off.

“But I was talking to my Mind Healer this week, and the gift came up; she thinks it would be a good idea for us to get away. I know, you’ve got the Market going until the new year, so it doesn’t have to be right now, but I just thought that may—”

“Yes!” Draco yelled over him.

“—be you could next… Wait, really?”

“Yes! I’m due some time off, and I’ve only been down to the Market a handful of times, and that included our date the other night. I’ll have to double check with Cloudfoot and Drumpkin, but I don’t see why I couldn’t! When were you thinking? Where are we going? What’s the weather like? Is it tropical? I have so much to do!”

Harry laughed as he watched his excited husband. “Calm down, calm down! Here. Here is what I had originally planned.” He reached out his hand and cast a wandless and wordless accio, causing an envelope to come flying out of the drawer that Ron had been searching through.

Draco opened the envelope to see a brochure to the same wizarding resort where they had spent their Honeymoon, in Sweden. There was a list of all the activities that Harry had originally planned, some which would no longer be feasible with it being winter, but most things sounded like absolute perfection to Draco.

“Oh, Harry,” he sighed, looking up at him. He leant in for a languid kiss, pulling back and looking at the brochure. “You know this is one of my favourite places in the world!”

Harry smiled. “I do. Sorry it took me so long to give it to you.”

“Again, no more apologies! Oh, I can already picture the front of the resort with snow on the ground, and a Christmas tree all lit up! When are we going?” His face grew serious as he started imagining all of the things he would need to pack, and what he would need to get done before they left.

“Well, today is the 8th. Do you think you can get work settled and get packed by Wednesday? I was thinking of scheduling a portkey for Wednesday after work? And come home on the 22nd, giving us a day to recuperate and unpack, before the Christmas Craziness begins. What do you think?”

“I think I’m not sure I can wait until Wednesday to leave! That sounds like perfection.” He leant in again, kissing Harry, who immediately pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

“Good,” he said in between kisses. “I can’t wait until it’s just you and me. Hmm… I love you.”

“I love you, too. Thank you for my gift.”

He pressed himself closer to Harry, and for the first time in a long time, felt an answering pressure in Harry’s pants. He sighed in Harry’s mouth, scooting over to straddle him, when they both heard a noise downstairs.

“Uncle Harry? Uncle Draco?”

Draco sighed in defeat, pulling back and chuckling at the look on Harry’s face. “Perfect timing, as always.”

“Yeah, perfect timing,” Harry snarled, standing up and fixing himself in his trousers. “That kid, I swear. Coming, Ted!” he yelled down the stairs.

He grabbed Draco’s hand, and pulled him out of the room. “Come on, let’s go ice skating!”

Draco smiled as he followed Harry from the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As they made it down to the first landing, the saw an anxious and excited Teddy tapping his foot; where he learned that, they could only imagine.

“There you are! I’ve been waiting forever!”

“You just yelled for us not a minute ago, Ted. Cool the dramatics.”

Teddy sighed as he looked between them. “Are we really going to go ice skating?”

“Yes, we’re going to go to the Market outside of Hogsmeade. Get your coat on; it’s mighty cold in Scotland,” Harry said, shooing his godson. Teddy ran back into the sitting room, retrieving his muggle coat, gloves, and hat.

“Okay, I’m ready! Let’s go!”

He squeezed himself in between them, gripping their hands, and dragging them down the stairs to the front door. The two adults laughed at each other, and both knew they should cherish every moment that Teddy wanted to spend with them; they knew the day was coming that he would be ‘too grown up’ to want to hang out with his uncles Harry and Draco.

They stepped out onto the front step, Draco locking the door, and then Harry gripped both of their hands in his as he twisted them away in apparation, landing nearly in the same spot that he and Draco had on their date night a few nights before.

The look on Teddy’s face was priceless. He looked around in wonderment and awe at all of the vendors and shops. “Where’s the skating?”

Draco laughed, pointing forward. “This way, come on.” He started walking towards the back part of the field, Teddy right beside him asking continuous questions, and Harry trailing behind them. When they made it to the rink, they all gasped in unison. 

Draco didn’t realize how close the rink was to Hogwarts. He had overseen the vendors, so this was the first time he had been to this side of the market. It was as if the castle had risen out of the depths, shining brightly in the distance. There were dozens of lamps lit up around the rink, making it looked ethereal. There was a tent set up next to it that was where the skates were located. Draco pointed towards it, and the three set off.

Teddy was bouncing on his heels by the time they got to the front of the queue and gave their shoe sizes. The young girl working told the adults how to put them on, and then moved on to the next person in line.

They found an empty bench and Harry set to work on putting his skates on, then helping Teddy. Draco took a moment to admire them, once again cherishing having Harry somewhat back to normal, and willingly spending time outside of the house.

He was brought out of his reverie by Teddy poking his cheek. He laughed as Draco yelped in surprise, and then started laughing when Draco countered by tickling him.

“Come on, you two, let’s go skate,” Harry said with a chuckle. Draco quickly did up his skates, and the three of them waddled toward the opening.

“Wha—what happens if I fall,” Teddy suddenly asked, apprehensively.

“Then, you fall,” Draco said. “But there are cushioning spells on the ice, so you won’t hurt yourself.”

“You promise?”

“Promise. Come on.” He stuck out his hand, and Teddy gripped it tightly. They gently stepped onto the ice, and Draco turned and took both of his hands, gently pulling him across the ice.

“How are you so good at skating, Uncle Draco?”

“On holiday, my father would freeze the pond behind the Manor, and I would get to skate. I spent a lot of time on the ice.”

“Can you do spins and stuff, like I’ve seen on the telly?”

Draco looked over at Harry, who was giving him a quizzical look. “Well, actually, yes.”

Harry coughed on his breath. “What?!”

Teddy turned to look at his godfather. “You didn’t know?”

“No. That is one thing your uncle Draco has failed to mention on these years. Well? Let’s see it.” He gestured his hand at Draco.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve—”

“No excuses! I want to see this!”

Draco huffed, but skated out a little way away, spinning in a wide circle, warming up a little. He looked over at the two, Harry’s hands on Teddy’s shoulders, watching him, and smiled. He did a lazy circle, and then brought his leg in tight to do a spin, releasing and making another circle. 

He skated away from them before turning back and gaining some speed before he jumped into the air, spinning a few times, and then landed gracefully back down on the ice. He circled back, slowly skating back towards them. He saw the awe in Teddy’s eyes, smiling as he clapped and whooped loudly. He then chanced a glance up at Harry and saw something that he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever; pure lust.

He smiled down at Teddy, who had wobbled his way over to him. 

“Can you teach me to do that?” His eyes were the size of saucers. “That was so cool!”

Draco laughed. “It would be a bit difficult to try and teach you that in one evening, but I can teach you a couple of things.” He suddenly felt arms wrap around his middle and felt Harry’s breath against his ear.

“Merlin, that was sexy.”

Draco stuttered. “Y-yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Yet again, they were ripped out of their trance by Teddy. They each took one of his hands, and the trio took off across the ice.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Teddy got tired of skating, frustrated that he couldn’t do the spins like Draco, they went and got some food. Teddy decided he wanted a kabob, so Harry went to order while Draco and Teddy went to find seats.

Draco cast a warming charm over their table, and sighed as warmth infused his body.

“Uncle Draco?”

Draco turned to face Teddy, who was sat across the table from him. “Yes, Teddy?”

“Is…is uncle Harry doing better?” He asked in a very soft voice, barely lifting his eyes to meet Draco’s.

Draco internally cringed. So, it wasn’t just affecting the adults.

“Yes, love, he’s doing better. I didn’t realise you’d noticed.”

Teddy nodded his head, still looking at the table. “Yeah. Usually, I’d see him at least a couple of days a week, but, I’ve only seen him like, twice, since his birthday, and he barely spoke to me then.”

Draco could tell his voice was beginning to wobble. “Oh, Ted. Come here.” He put his arms out and watched as Teddy scrambled around the bench to slide in beside him, wrapping his arms around Draco’s middle. He heard a quiet sob, and just held him, sliding his fingers through his hair.

“Your uncle Harry has been through a lot, lately, Ted, but I promise he is doing much better. And he loves you so much. It’s just taken some time for him to start feeling better. I’m sorry, love.” 

Teddy pulled back, and Draco helped him wipe his cheeks of the tears. “I just really missed him,” he sniffed.

Draco kissed the top of his head. “I know, Ted. So did I. But, he’s… he’s doing so good. He’s—”

They were interrupted by Harry setting the food and drinks on the table. “What’s all this?” He looked between them, tears in both their eyes.

Draco cleared his throat and said, “Just talking about how much we’ll miss him when he goes off to Hogwarts.”

Harry slid in beside Teddy, so they were all on the same side of the table, and wrapped his arm around him. “Oh, Ted, of course we’re going to miss you.” He looked over at Draco above Teddy’s head, and gave him a questioning look. 

Draco shook his head and whispered, “later.”

“But, just think of how much fun you’ll have at Hogwarts,” Harry continued as he distributed their food. “All the new friends you’ll make.”

“All the mischief you’ll cause,” Draco added.

Harry faux gasped, while Teddy giggled. “Our Teddy, a trouble maker? How could you ever say such a thing.”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about the fact this it’s in his genes? Not only was he raised with the help of you, Mr ‘Trouble Always Finds Me No Matter What’, but his father was 1/4th of the most notorious mischief makers Hogwarts has ever seen!”

Harry looked down at Teddy. “He’s got a point. You’re doomed, kiddo.” All three of them laughed at that.

“I can’t wait to get my letter! Will you take me to Diagon Alley to get all of my things?”

“You bet we will! Your birthday is in April, so we will go get your wand and books and other necessities as soon as you get your letter.”

“That’s right,” Draco said. “But, I think it wise to wait to get your robes and such until around mid August. I have a feeling you’re going to have another growth spurt.”

“Agreed.  
“Agreed. Before we know it, you’re going to be taller than all of us!”

“Do you think I’ll be taller than uncle Ron?”

Harry pretended to mull it over. “Well, maybe not uncle Ron. He’s part troll. I lived with him for several years, I’d know. Just don’t tell him I said that.”

Teddy giggled, while Draco laughed and said, “Oh, I’m definitely going to tell him that.”

Harry laughed too, and he watched as Teddy turned and gave Draco a look. Draco bent over and kissed his forehead again, and then looked up and gave Harry a sad smile. 

Teddy leaned into Harry’s side as they finished up their meal, and started talking about Hogwarts again, asking a dozen questions in quick succession.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I suck. Definitely don't think this is going to get done in the next 3 days... BUT IT WILL GET DONE, I SWEAR!!! Ugh.

After they put Teddy to bed in his room at Grimmauld (‘Can I spend the night? Nan won’t mind, I know it!’) they closed the door to their room. Draco went into the en-suite to do his nightly routine, while Harry pulled out pajamas for them both, before he stepped into the bathroom and picked up his toothbrush, too.

“So, what were you two really talking about when I walked up with the food?”

Draco spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth out before turning to lean against the counter. He sighed as he crossed his arms. “He asked me if you were doing better.”

Harry stopped mid brush and sighed, closing his eyes.

“You are beginning to understand that this has affected everyone, right?”

Harry rinsed out his mouth and turned so he was facing Draco. “Yes, I’m beginning to. I wish… Godric, I’m so sorry.” His chin hit his chest.

Draco sighed, turning to pull him in his arms. “We all love you, Harry. No one likes seeing you so closed off. You are not alone in this, do you understand me? All you have to do is ask, and any one of us will drop whatever we’re doing and be by your side.”

Harry sank deeper into Draco’s arms, nuzzling into his neck. “I know that now, but it’s so much easier to just…”

“But you don’t have to. I’m so glad you decided to get help. I still just wish you had said something.” He sighed, running his hands through Harry’s hair. “Come on, let’s go to bed. I have a feeling we’re going to have an excitable ten-year old hop on our bed far too early in the morning.”

He released Harry, taking his hand and pulling him toward their bed, before wrapping himself back around him and he spooned up behind Harry. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Harry replied, pulling Draco’s arms tighter around him. “So damned much.”

\-----

He was right. He was woken up by two knobby knees in the stomach, as Teddy tried to crawl over him to get in the middle of the bed.

“Oof! What time is it?”

Teddy giggled as he slid under the covers.

Harry turned over, glancing at the clock on his bedside table. He’d convinced Draco when they had moved in together that muggles did know what they were doing when it came to some technology. “Ugh, 6:22.”

Draco sighed as he wrapped his arm around Teddy. “Too early. Sleep more.”

Teddy giggled again but didn’t say anything as he wrapped his own arms around Harry’s bicep. Harry turned back, scooting forward some, and wrapped his own arm over Teddy, laying his hand on Draco’s upper arm.

The next thing he knew, Draco was being woken up again to a giggling Teddy, who was in the midst of a tickle fight with Harry. He blearily opened his eyes, smiling at the two in front of him.

Teddy had just turned four when they started dating. At first, he was terrified of getting to know the little boy, as his mother and aunt had still been on tentative terms at that point. But, one afternoon with him, and he was head-over-heels in love with the little tyke.

Harry and Andromeda had made a deal after the war, that she would have him full time, but Harry could come and get him at any time, and he would spend at least one weekend a month with him. Harry had wanted to make sure that Teddy knew he was loved, and that Harry would always be there for him.

Harry was currently splayed across Teddy, fake squishing him to the bed. Teddy was yelling for Draco to help him, but he just lay there, feigning sleep. Finally, he roused and blinked at the two.

“Harry, I thought I told you to clean off the bed, last night. There’s a giant lump in the middle of it!”

“I know, love, I’m sorry, but the lump was just so comfortable, I decided to leave it and just lay on it.”

“Oh, it’s comfortable? Let me try.”

He leaned over; and quickly traded places with Harry, squealing Teddy beneath him.

“No! Get off of me! You’re too heavy!”

“Love, it the lump talking?”

“It is. Are you sure it’s a lump?”

Draco gently sat up and gasped, widening his at Harry! “It’s not a lump! It’s Teddy! How did he get there?”

“I have no idea!”

All three laughed as Teddy, hair in complete disarray, sat up, chest heaving.

“What’s for breakfast?”

The adults laughed harder. “Good question. What do you want?”

“Can we go down to that little café by the bridge?” His eyes grew wide in hope.

A few years before, they had taken Teddy out to muggle London, visiting some tourist attractions and just introducing him to muggle life a bit. They had talked with Andromeda, and had agreed that he needed to know all sides.

While they were wandering, they came across this tiny little café that had the greatest pastries Draco had ever eaten—and he’d had some wonderful pasties in his lifetime. They had bought several to take home and had eaten them all before supper. It had become a tradition for them to stop by.

“Mmmm, a cannoli sounds amazing,” Draco said. “Go take your shower, and get dressed, and we can go.”

“Yeah!” Teddy jumped up, racing towards his bathroom.

“Merlin, I love that kid.”

“Me, too.”

\-----

They soon were walking along the River Thames, eating cannolis. The city was beautiful this time of year, decorated for Christmas and a little bit of snow on the ground.

They passed by dozens of muggles, out for a leisurely stroll on a Saturday morning. Teddy was running a little in front of them, occasionally peeking over the edge into the water, or watching birds walk around.

Draco and Harry were walking hand-in-hand, watching Teddy play. He suddenly stopped, though, and then bent in half laughing. They gave each other a curious look and quickened their pace to see what he was cackling at.

He turned to them as they walked up and pointed at the phone booth that stood on the walkway. “Look at that!” he laughed.

They both looked into the booth and burst into laughter as they saw that someone had put a large snowman inside the booth, carrot nose and all. 

“Muggles are so silly,” Teddy said, still laughing.

“Says the wizard that is having trouble breathing he is laughing so hard,” Draco replied with a smile. “What else do you want to do before you have to go back home?”

“Can we go to Diagon? I saw something at one of the stalls a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to get Grandma Molly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Nan and I were shopping, and we saw these hooks that looked like dragons, and I thought she would like them ‘cause they would remind her of Uncle Charlie!”

Harry and Draco looked at each other and then both wrapped Teddy up in a large hug.

“What?! Get off me! Why?”

“You are just a really sweet kid, you know that?” Harry tousled his hair, which made Teddy swat at his hand.

Teddy blushed, mumbling, “I just thought they were cool.”

“They sound really cool. Come on, let’s go.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!

“Are you completely packed?”

“Yes, love. I’ve got everything in my bag, which is downstairs and ready to go when we get home this evening. Portkey leaves at 6:45, so I will be home no later than 6:15.”

“Okay. I hope I have everything.”

“I’m sure you do. You made a list, and have checked it over about half a dozen times.”

“You make me sound like Father Christmas.”

Harry just shrugged, smiling at his husband. “Am I wrong?”

“That’s beside the point,” Draco mumbled.

Harry chuckled. “Alright, I’m going. I have a therapy session before I go in, as we won’t be here for my normal time slot for the next few days.”

Draco nodded. “I’ll see you this evening?”

“And then we’re out of here for a few days.” Harry leaned in to kiss him.

“Hmmmm. I can’t wait.”

“Me, either. Love you.”

“Love you.”

___

Harry floo’d into their sitting room at 6:15 sharp. He looked around at the room and frowned. “Draco?”

“I’m here,” Draco huffed, walking around the corner into the room.

“What happened in here?”

“I checked my list once more,” Draco said quietly.

“Oh, love, you’ve got it all! And if not, guess what?”

“What?”

Harry walked toward him, pulling him into his arms. “We can go shopping and get whatever is missing. Hell, I’m sure we’re going to go shopping anyway, so it’s okay!”

“I just feel like I’m forgetting something. Do you have all your potions? Your journal? Your—”

“Baby, breathe. I’ve got everything we need, and then some. I promise. This vacation is supposed to be relaxing and an opportunity for us to spend time together. No stress. Say it.”

Draco sighed as he gripped Harry’s shirt. “No stress. This is for us. I’ve missed us.”

“Me, too. Come on, we have just a few minutes until the portkey activates. Is everything good upstairs?”

“Yes, Kreacher cleaned up after me.”

“Okay.” He walked over to the closet in the hallway, pulling on his coat, hat, and gloves, and handed Draco his traveling cloak.

“No, I want my coat.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I want to be able to go into the muggle areas, too.”

“Alright.” He put the cloak back and pulled out his wool coat. He helped Draco slip it on and picked up his bag. Draco picked up his own and pulled out the hangar that was their portkey. Harry looked up at the clock on the mantle and touched the hangar as well. “Five, four, three, two, one…”

They were pulled through space and landed in the middle of a snow filled street, beautiful buildings on one side and a small park on the other.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Draco whispered, looking around.

“Yeah, you are.”

Draco laughed, lightly slapping Harry’s arm. “Oh, posh. Come on. While it’s beautiful, it’s absolutely freezing! Let’s go get checked in.”

Harry gripped Draco’s hand, pulling him towards the front door of the lodge.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After getting checked in, the made their way towards their suite; Harry had managed to get the same room that they had when they were on their honeymoon. As soon as they walked in, Draco couldn’t stop smiling.

“Oh, Harry. It’s exactly the same,” he breathed, looking around the room, and then opening the curtains to see their snow-covered balcony.

“Is that okay? Or would you prefer something different?” Harry ran his hand through his hair, looking nervous.

“Love, this is _perfect_. It’s just like I remembered.” He turned back and, waving his wand, their bags unpacked themselves, clothes settling in the drawers of the armoire, toiletries floating towards the en-suite.

Draco kicked off his shoes, and lay down on the bed, patting the space beside him, beckoning to Harry. Harry slipped his shoes off too and crawled up the bed. He lay his head on Draco’s chest, wrapping his arm around him. Draco slid his fingers through Harry’s hair, sighing in contentment.

“Merlin, this totally takes me back to our honeymoon. Do you remember the sheer exhaustion we felt when we got here?”

“Godric, yes. We fell asleep still in our wedding clothes. Thank Merlin for Hermione and Pansy, though, who made sure that we got room service the next morning.”

“Oh, those pancakes," Draco moaned. "Please tell me we are going to get pancakes for breakfast.”

Harry chuckled, turning to lay his chin on Draco’s chest. “We can have pancakes for every meal, if that’s what you want. This vacation is for you, love.”

“No, it’s for us,” Draco said, leaning down to kiss Harry. “Hmmm. So, what is the plan for tonight?”

“Well, we can just stay in, get some room service, and watch the wizarding telly, or we can go into town, find someplace to eat, and look at the Christmas lights. It’s up to you.”

Draco lay there, quietly pondering for a moment, before deciding: “Let’s go into town.”

“Alright.” Harry got up, pulling Draco with him. He zipped up his jacket, pulling a scarf out of the drawer, wrapping the Slytherin green scarf around Draco’s neck, before grabbing his own. “Let’s go.”

They made their way down towards the lobby and stepped back out into the cold air. They held hands as they turned and walked down the snowy road. Fairy lights lit up the trees in the park and were placed on the eaves of the buildings, but when they turned a corner onto the main street, they both stopped and gasped.

Floating between two buildings, smack in the middle of the main road, was a giant angel, completely lit up with fairy lights. It was breath-takingly beautiful, and both of them couldn’t take their eyes off it and they walked closer to where it was hung.

“Merlin, that’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it is. Oh, wow, look at that!” Draco pointed to the front of a store front, that had a miniature version of the same angel hanging inside the glass.

“There’s one over there, too,” Harry pointed out.

“I love it. Let’s see what else there is.”

They walked down the street, glancing in the stores, people watching and just enjoying their evening. They ended up stopping at a little diner, where they ordered a hearty stew and the most delicious roll.

After supper, they decided to head back to their room. As they walked back through town, Draco couldn’t wait to really get to explore. During their honeymoon, they didn’t really leave the room but just a couple of times; they would finally get to visit the area, and see what was on offer.

He gripped Harry’s hand, swinging it back and forth. This was exactly what they needed: just to be with each other.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since I suck so much at this, I am going to try and double up on some of the photo prompts, to try and get through this a little quicker. 

The next morning, they woke up and called for room service. They took their time in eating, enjoying the immense pancakes that they had ordered.

Once they had showered and dressed, they decided to check out what the resort’s scheduled activities were. They chatted with the same young woman that had checked them in the day before and decided to take a sleigh ride. 

They walked around to the back of the lodge to find a wizard brushing down a handsome caribou. Harry walked over to him, letting him know that they had scheduled a ride. He shook the man’s hand, and then gestured for Draco.

They stepped over to a beautiful sleigh, fitted with a blanket that had a warming charm worked into the fibers, and waited for the wizard to magic the animal to pull the sleigh.

“He should be set. He knows the way and will take you around the trail. If you wish to stop and get off at any point, just say ‘sluta’ for stop and ‘gå’ for go. He’ll do the rest.”

They thanked him, and Draco said ‘ga’, which caused them to start moving down the snow-covered trail.

Harry wrapped his arm around Draco’s back, and Draco curled into his side.

“Thank you,” Draco said.

“For what?”

“For… for this. For this trip. For coming back to me.”

Harry gripped him harder as Draco leant back into his chest. “I’ll always come back, love. Always.”

They watched the beautiful scenery pass them by, occasionally stopping the sleigh to watch animals along the path. After a while, they came upon a real road, which led to a muggle made tunnel; the caribou turned and started toward it.

They looked at each other as they got closer, looking at the large snow-covered trees that surrounded the tunnel. As they crossed into the tunnel, the both moved a little closer to each other, if that were possible.

“Where are we? I thought this stuck to the trail?”

“I’m not sure what is going on. The man didn’t say anything about this.”

The tunnel had lights in it, so they weren’t in pitch black, but it was still a little unnerving. It wasn’t too long, though, and they quickly were back in the daylight again. Just a few meters past, the sleigh turned down another path, which caused them both to smile.

The trees arched over the trail, and there were large magical ornaments and crystals hanging from the branches. There were fairie lights everywhere, and everything was covered in snow.

“This is absolutely beautiful. Merlin,” Draco sighed.

“It is. I’m so glad we decided to do this.”

“Me, too.”

Draco lay his hand on Harry’s knee, turning to kiss him. “I love you.”

Harry lay his hand on top of Draco’s sliding it farther up, stopping just at where his leg and hip met. “I love you, too. So damned much.”

“Hmmm. Just how much?” He slipped his hand out from under Harry’s and moved it towards the button of his jeans.

Harry gasped, before quietly moaning. “Draco, we can’t.”

“And why not? I don’t think he’s going to tell anyone,” nodding toward the animal pulling the sleigh. “Let me take care of you, love.”

Harry’s breath caught in his throat as Draco slid off the bench of the sleigh and knelt down between Harry’s legs. He nodded quickly, as Draco tossed the blanket over his hand and Harry’s lap. Harry slid down, spreading his legs, and gasped as he felt Draco take him into his mouth.

“Oh, Godric, it’s been too long. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. fork! fork fork fork fork! I—”

It didn’t take long before Draco was popping back out from under the blanket, wiping the corners of his mouth, fixing his hair, and grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, gods, Draco. You’ve killed me.”

“I sure hope not, because I have plans for you later, love.”

Harry huffed a laugh as he continued to come down from his high. “fork.”

“Later. I’ll hold you to that.”

“What about you, now? Do you want…?”

“No, we’re almost back to the resort,” he said, nodding towards the near distance, where they could see the stables where they had left from.

They were quiet as their ride came to a close, and they thanked the wizard again as they made their way back into the warmth of the lodge.

“Do you want to get lunch now, or get room service again?”

“Let’s go to the dining room. Then, we can see what else they have planned for this afternoon.”

“Sounds good,” Harry said, sliding his hand into Draco’s.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M NOT GIVING UP ON THIS, I SWEAR!!!! It's just the new year has already thrown me out the window and rolled over me with a car, and we're only 10 days in, so you know...

The next week flew by in a blur of amazing food, wonderful sights, and great shopping. Before they knew it, it was their last full day at the resort; they would be leaving shortly after breakfast the next day.

As they sat in the dining room, eating their breakfast, Harry gently nudged his toe into Draco’s ankle. “What do you want to do, today?”

“Well…” Draco trailed off, a tinge of pink growing in his cheeks.

“What?”

“Well, the snow has melted, for the most part, and the other day when we were over in the park, we passed the muggle bikles, and I…”

“Whoa, wait, back up a moment. You, Draco Lucius Malfoy, want to take a ride on a muggle bicycle? Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?!”

“Piss off! I just saw the two-seater, and know that while you didn’t get a lot of practice in while you were a child, you did learn how to ride one, and thought that it would be… fun?”

“The only reason I learned, was because I _had to_ , in order to be able to get away from Dudley and his goons. I’ve never ridden a two-seater, though. But, how hard could it be?”

They quickly learned it was a bit harder than it looked. After they finished their breakfast, they went across the road to the well-lit park and asked a young man about renting the bicycle. He helped them choose one, and then left them to their own devices. It was then that they realised that it wasn’t as easy as it looked.

“Harry, how in Merlin’s name are we supposed to get on this thing?”

Harry chuckled as he threw his leg back over the bike, walking back towards where Draco was standing beside it.

“You have to straddle the bar, and get up on the seat.”

“That much I had gathered, smart-arse. What I’m saying is, how are we both supposed to get on this thing without falling?”

“That’s easy.” Harry discreetly shifted his wand down his sleeve and cast a spell to keep the bike upright. “We just have to make sure that one of us is holding onto it the entire time, so it looks like we’re keeping it upright.”

“You’re brilliant. I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” Draco teased, moving to straddle the bar.

“That’s what I’m here for, to make sure you don’t fall on your beautiful arse,” Harry said. He leaned in closer to Draco, whispering, “It being bruised would detract from its beauty.”

Draco lightly slapped his arm as Harry went and straddled the front bar of the tandem bike. “Alright, so, we’re going to start on the left. Fix your pedal like this, and then on the count of three, push on it and then sit down on the seat, like this.” He demonstrated for Draco, and then counted down. Before they knew it, they were riding the bike.

“We’re doing it,” Draco exclaimed. “We’re actually doing it!”

They rode around the large park, laughing at each other. Harry’s magic helped immensely, especially when Draco turned around to watch a couple of birds that were flying around together, and nearly toppled over. He was able to grab the handle just in time and was glad that he hadn’t nearly taken the bike with him.

After riding around for nearly an hour, they returned the bike and then decided to finish their Christmas shopping; they still needed to get something for Molly, Ginny, and Andromeda.

As they walked towards the main part of the city, hand-in-hand, Draco asked Harry, “How are you feeling?”

“Wonderful. I’ve got you by my side, I’m fresh after some exercise. What else could I man need?”

Draco smiled, but tugged Harry to stop. “No, how are you _feeling_?”

Harry stopped and looked at Draco. He could see the worry in his eyes. “Really, baby. I’m wonderful. I’ve been taking my potions, I’ve been journaling every night, and occasionally during the day when a stray thought crosses my mind. I—I even fire-called the Mind Healer a few days ago.”

“You did? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. I just needed some reassurance about something, she gave it to me, and we hung up. It was nothing.”

“Reassurance for what?”

“Nothing to worry your handsome blond head about, I promise. Now, come on. I wanted to check out that little store next to the Italian restaurant. I have a feeling we’ll be able to find Molly something in there.”

Draco wasn’t convinced, but allowed himself to be pulled along, as Harry made his way towards the shop.

~*~*~

After spending several more hours shopping, eating lunch, and admiring more of the beautiful sights, they made their way back to their room.

Harry collapsed onto the bed, sighing loudly. Draco smiled at him, putting their purchases away.

“So, what do you want to do this evening? Go down to the dining room for supper?”

“What about ordering in, and watching the telly?”

“Sounds good to me. I am still impressed that a wizarding resort has muggle technology.”

“I know, but you’ll hear no complaints from me.”

“I would think not,” Draco said, removing his shoes and curling up on the bed with Harry, who grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

They ordered food, and once it arrived, they watched a movie and ate their food. Setting their plates aside, Draco curled himself into Harry’s arms, relishing in the feeling of love and contentment.

“I love you,” Harry said suddenly.

Draco looked up at him and smiled. “I love you, too.”

“No.” Harry pulled away, causing Draco to sit up. He gave him a confused look. “No, I know you love me, but Draco…” He paused, looking away, before taking a deep breath and getting off of the bed.

“Harry? You’re starting to scare me.”

Harry dug in his bag, pulling out his journal. “I need you to know something.”

Draco’s stomach dropped. He was confused, concerned, and nervous as to what was happening. He startled slightly when Harry suddenly thrust his journal at him. “I don’t…”

“I need you to read this. I need you to know what has been going through my head. I need you to love me for me.”

Draco moved to sit on his knees. “I _do_ love you for you. I love everything about you. The good, the bad, and the saint-like,” he said, reciting part of his vows.

Harry smiled slightly, but also looked pained.

Draco looked down at the book in his hands and then looked back up at Harry. “I don’t need to read this, love. I know that I don’t know what you’ve been dealing with, but I know that you are getting better, and that you _want_ to get better.”

“I do,” Harry said with a sigh, starting to pace beside the bed. “I do want to get better, and I am, I really am, but I need to know that you won’t leave me if I never get back to how I was.”

Draco’s breath caught in his throat. “Harry, I would never leave you.”

“But you said that—”

“Honey, I was scared that _you_ were leaving _me._ And I didn’t know what to do with that, so I thought of every possible outcome.”

Harry slumped down onto the bed. Draco moved to sit just behind him but didn’t touch him. “I couldn’t fathom the thought of leaving, but I knew that if you were—” his breath caught. “If you were cheating, I knew that I couldn’t stay, and I needed to think of how I was going to move on.”

Harry turned around and pulled Draco into his lap, clutching him hard around the waste. He started sobbing. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry that I put you through all of this. I didn’t know how… I didn’t know what to do.” The last few words came out as a whisper.

Draco clutched at his shoulders, running his fingers through Harry’s hair, trying to calm him down.

“Shh shh. Come on love, please. I hate this. I hate seeing you like this. Shhh.”

Harry continued crying, clutching onto Draco, hiding in his chest. Draco just held him and rubbed his hand up and down Harry’s back.

“It’s us, love. After all the shite that we’ve been through over the years, before and after we were married, we can get through anything. Sweetheart, please, stop. I’m here. I’ll always be here. I just need you to come back to me.”

“Always.”

Harry’s crying eventually subsided, and he pulled back from Draco, who just gently wiped his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“For what?

“For always being there for me, even when you don’t want to be. For loving me. For never letting me get away with anything. For…for being mine.”

Draco just leaned in and kissed his temple before pulling back and sliding back up the bed. He picked up the journal that Harry had handed him and placed it on the bedside table, before moving over and patting the space beside him.

“Come on, let’s watch some more telly, and then get some sleep.”

Harry just nodded, moving over and laying his head on Draco’s chest.

“Thank you, too, Harry,” Draco whispered. “For being mine, always.”

Harry said nothing, just gently squeezing Draco’s hip, as they got comfortable and turned back to the television.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

They awoke early the next morning, barely saying anything to each other as they showered and finished packing their things; they were both still emotionally exhausted from their talk the night before.

Once ready, they shrunk their bags and, after checking to make sure that they hadn’t left anything, they made their way down to the dining room for a quick breakfast before they checked out and met for their portkey home.

Draco was the first to finally break the ice. “Why do I feel like we had a huge fight, and we’re both walking around trying not to disturb the other? That’s not what happened.”

Harry looked up at him with a small smile. “That’s how I feel, too, and I don’t know why, either. This is ridiculous.”

“It is, indeed,” Draco smiled, moving his foot to rub against Harry’s ankle. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Are we sure we want to go home,” Harry asked with a smile, looking around the room. “Can’t we just stay here for the rest of December?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me, but you are the one that has to floo mother, Molly, and Hermione and let them know we won’t be back for Christmas. Oh, and Teddy, too.” Draco looked over at Harry with a smirk.

“On second thought, maybe we should just go on home. I’d like to live to see the new year.”

“Good plan,” Draco chuckled. “Speaking of, our portkey is scheduled to leave in about 10 minutes. We should probably get to reception and pick it up.”

Harry swallowed the rest of his coffee before standing, offering Draco his hand. “You’re right, let’s go. We’ve got a lot to get done when we get home, before the festivities begin.”

Draco took Harry’s hand, letting himself be pulled up, and checked his pockets one last time to make sure they had everything. “Alright, let’s go.”

They picked up their portkey, a small plastic keychain, and before they knew it, they were back in their living room.

Harry sighed, vanishing the portkey. “Alright, what first?” He looked over at Draco, who sighed too.

“Well, let’s unpack first. Start a load of laundry? And then, start wrapping. We have dinner at Ron and Hermione’s tonight, we go to the Manor tomorrow, and spend Christmas morning there, too, and then to the Burrow for Christmas supper and Boxing Day? Right?”

“Yep, I think that’s right. Andromeda and Ted will be at the Manor, too, right?”

“Yes, and then accompany us to the Burrow. I’m hoping that between the four of us, we can convince mother to join us, as well. I’m sure Molly wouldn’t mind.”

“I know for a fact she wouldn’t. She told me just a few weeks ago how long it had been since she’d seen her. Alright. Let the fun begin!” He smiled as he tugged Draco up to their room.

Kreacher came and took their dirty laundry, and they unpacked and laid out all of the gift that they had purchased on their trip. Draco summoned the rest that he had hidden (sans Harry’s) and placed them with the rest. He then brought out the beautiful wrapping paper he had bought on his last trip to Diagon, and showed Harry.

“You amaze me, you know that?”

“What?”

“Each family gets their own paper,” Harry chuckled, smiling fondly.

“Well, it makes it easier, that way!”

Harry just smiled at him as he picked up the play broom that they had bought for Hugo. “Which one for the Granger-Weasley’s?”

“This one,” Draco said, handing Harry a roll of green paper with gold ‘Merry Christmas’s’ across it.

“That’s pretty close to Slytherin colors,” Harry mused.

“Oh, I know. How many galleons you want to wager that my gift is wrapped in red?”

Harry laughed. “I know I’ll lose but seeing Ron’s face when I hand you money will be worth it. How about one?” 

“You’re on,” Draco said with a wink.

They wrapped everyone’s gifts, chatting about anything and nothing. Kreacher brought them lunch, and they sat on their bed and ate, laughing at one another. Once done, and their plates taken away, they sat at the head of the bed and stared at the mounds of gifts strewn about their room.

“Merlin, that’s a lot of stuff.”

“Well, it doesn’t help that we are awful godparents, and spoil our godchildren rotten. How many gifts did Rosie get?”

“No comment,” Draco said.

Harry chuckled, pulling Draco closer towards him. “Can I give you one of your gifts now?”

Draco, always keen for gifts, leant his head up to look at Harry. “Really?”

“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s also definitely not appropriate for polite company.”

“Well then, I definitely want it!”

Harry grinned, flicking his wrist. A small wrapped box flew out of the top drawer of Harry’s dresser.

“Show off,” Draco smiled.

“Only for you, love,” Harry said, handing Draco the box.

He sat up and pulled the top off the top. Shifting aside the tissue paper, he gasped and then cackled. He pulled out a red man’s thong with the saying, “When I think of you, I touch my elf.”

“Is this for me to wear, or for you?”

“Whichever way you want.”

“Hmmm. I mean, what about neither. We both know it wouldn’t be on for long, anyway.”

“That’s very true. Come here.”

Harry pulled Draco to straddle his lap, and they spent the next several minutes snogging like teenagers.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S ALIVE!!!!! Okay, seriously, I suck. BUT! I am posting the last 3 chapters right now, and it's done! Only took me over two months, but... It's kinda hard to write a story about mental health when your own mental health isn't so great. Alas... here we go! Thank you for reading!

Harry couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he handed Draco the galleon they had bet. 

“What the—”

“Told you,” Draco said with a smirk, looking down at the red gift that sat in his lap.

“Oh, I know. You can just take one look at their Christmas tree and know that they’re Gryffindors,” Harry said nodding over to the Christmas tree full of red and gold bulbs.

“Too true.” Draco chuckled as he opened the gift, handing the paper to Harry and turning over a book. He gasped and looked over at Ron and Hermione. “Are you serious?”

“There’s more,” Ron said with a smirk, nodding back to him.

Draco looked confused, but opened the cover and screeched. “How? Where? What?!”

“What am I missing here,” Harry asked.

Draco twisted on the couch and lifted up the book. “This is a first edition of Most Potente Potions and is signed by the author! Seriously, HOW?!”

Hermione laughed as Draco got up and went and hugged both her and Ron, before sitting back beside Harry.

“Well, the auror’s got a tip from the shopkeeper at the bookstore just inside Knockturn that they had just received a donation of a large collection from an old pureblood family,” Ron said. “He said he didn’t want any trouble, and so asked if a couple of deputies could come and take a look, which surprised us all.

“So, Millie and I went and checked it out. Didn’t find anything suspicious, which relieved the shopkeeper, but did find some amazing books. Saw that one and thought of you, and then found several for Hermione.”

“I’ll show you later,” Hermione whispered to Draco, making him smile.

“This is amazing. Thank you, mate,” Draco said, petting the front cover of the book.

“You’re welcome.”

They opened more gifts, drank more mead, and then Harry and Draco headed home.

It was still a decent time, so they decided to take a walk around London. They walked along the Thames, walking past the London Bridge. It was absolutely breathtaking, lit up at night, with Christmas decorations on either side of the river.

Harry gripped Draco’s hand, swinging it back and forth.

“What’s got you so happy?”

“You.”

Draco smiled and wrapped his other hand around Harry’s bicep. “I love you, too, you silly man. Come on, let’s go home.”

Harry kissed his forehead as they made their way towards Grimmauld.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next afternoon, they prepared for the next three days. They each packed a bag, and then packed up the rest of the presents. Draco was never more glad for magic than when he saw a stack of several dozen gifts, and with just a wave of his wand, they all shrunk and fit into a small sack.

Checking and double checking that they had everything, they made sure to leave Kreacher’s gift where he could find it, and then apparated to the Manor gates. 

Upon landing, they learned that it was much colder and snowier in Wiltshire. The gates had two large wreaths on it, and everything was coated in snow. It was beautiful, Harry thought, as he raised his wand, and the gates opened.

They hadn’t even gotten two thirds of the way to the door before they saw it spring open, and a small body came sprinting towards them.

“Uncle Harry! Uncle Draco!” Teddy yelled as he slammed into Harry, hugging him tight.

“There he is” Harry exclaimed, gripping him back. “Merry Christmas, Ted!”

“Merry Christmas” Teddy grinned, hugging Draco, and then gripping both of their hands and practically pulling them towards the doors.

Andromeda and Narcissa were both standing in the doorway, smiling at them. 

“Merry Christmas,” Draco said as they walked up to them, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas,” Andromeda said as Harry gave her a kiss on the cheek, as well.

“Merry Christmas,” Narcissa said, pulling Harry into a hug. “How was your trip?”

“Oh, yes, how was Sweden?”

“It was incredible,” Draco said as they made their way to the sitting room where a dinner buffet was spread along a table. “Just like how I remembered it from our honeymoon, but also so completely different, as well.”

“It really was. And it was great to just get away for a little bit.” He sat down their bag of presents, waving his wand to set the ones that belonged to the occupants of the room under the tree.

“I’m glad to see that you both had a wonderful time,” Narcissa said.

Draco caught her eye and smiled, nodding his head. He could see the happiness for him in her eyes; she had been worried, too.

“Well, shall we get some food, and play cards?” 

They spent the next couple of hours eating, drinking, chatting, and playing different games. It had been a long time since Draco had seen his mother so happy. Seeing her happy smile brought such happiness to him. It didn’t hurt that he saw the same happiness in his aunt’s eyes, as well.

Before they knew it, it was time for Teddy to go to bed, “or Father Christmas won’t come visit, Ted! You’ve got to go to sleep!”

Once Teddy was put to bed, it wasn’t long before Narcissa and Andromeda both made their leave, and Harry and Draco moved to their suite, lighting the fire.

“Did you talk to mum about going tomorrow,” Harry asked, as they changed their clothes.

“I don’t think I will ever get over you calling her mum,” he said with a shake of his head.

“She told me I could! She’s my mother-in-law, therefore she is my mum.”

Draco just smiled and shook his head again. “Anyway, yes, I did. She didn’t give an answer, so I figure we can just getTeddy to convince her, tomorrow.”

“Sounds like the perfect plan, to me,” Harry said with a smile. “Come on, we should probably get some sleep. We all know Teddy won’t let us have a lie-in.” He crawled into the large bed, pulling Draco into his arms. “Goodnight, love.”

“Goodnight,” Draco sighed, leaning back against his chest.

~*~*~

They were right. It was barely dawn when a gangly ten-year-old jumped into the middle of their bed. 

“Wake up wake up wake up! It’s Christmas!”

Draco groaned as he turned over. “What time is it,” he groggily asked.

“Too early,” Harry said as he turned over and blearily looked at Teddy. “Are your nan and auntie awake, too?”

“No, I woke you up first!”

“Of course you did,” Draco mumbled. “I’m ready for the days when he becomes a lazy teenager, and doesn’t wake up until noon.”

“You really think that’ll actually happen?” Harry sighed as he sat up in the bed.

Draco huffed a laugh. “No.”

“Okay, Ted. We’re getting up. Go down to the sitting room, but do not touch anything until we get there, alright?”

“Can I call for Nipsy?”

“Yes. I believe mother discussed breakfast with her, so she should have it started.”

“Okay!”

Teddy skipped out of the room, as Harry and Draco slumped back down in the bed at the same time. 

“How long do you think we have?”

“Maybe thirty minutes. Might as well shower.”

Draco groaned, but moved to sit on the side of the bed. He sat there for a moment, giving Harry the opportunity to slide up behind him and place several kisses along the back of his neck. Draco tilted his head, giving Harry better access.

“Merlin, you’re beautiful,” Harry hummed against Draco’s skin.

“You’re not so bad—oh!—bad yourself.”

“Hmmm… Want to share a shower,” Harry whispered against Draco’s ear. They held hands as they walked into the en suite.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

They were right. It was barely dawn when a gangly ten-year-old jumped into the middle of their bed. 

“Wake up wake up wake up! It’s Christmas!”

Draco groaned as he turned over. “What time is it,” he groggily asked.

“Too early,” Harry said as he turned over and blearily looked at Teddy. “Are your nan and auntie awake, too?”

“No, I woke you up first!”

“Of course you did,” Draco mumbled. “I’m ready for the days when he becomes a lazy teenager, and doesn’t wake up until noon.”

“You really think that’ll actually happen?” Harry sighed as he sat up in the bed.

Draco huffed a laugh. “No.”

“Okay, Ted. We’re getting up. Go down to the sitting room, but do not touch anything until we get there, alright?”

“Can I call for Nipsy?”

“Yes. I believe mother discussed breakfast with her, so she should have it started.”

“Okay!”

Teddy skipped out of the room, as Harry and Draco slumped back down in the bed at the same time. 

“How long do you think we have?”

“Maybe thirty minutes. Might as well shower.”

Draco groaned, but moved to sit on the side of the bed. He sat there for a moment, giving Harry the opportunity to slide up behind him and place several kisses along the back of his neck. Draco tilted his head, giving Harry better access.

“Merlin, you’re beautiful,” Harry hummed against Draco’s skin.

“You’re not so bad—oh!—bad yourself.”

“Hmmm… Want to share a shower,” Harry whispered against Draco’s ear. They held hands as they walked into the en suite.

~*~*~

Exactly 33 minutes later, they joined Teddy down in the sitting room. Luckily, he had listened, and was (im)patiently waiting on everyone else to come down. As Harry walked in the room, he jumped up from his seat at the table, which was covered in a large Christmas breakfast, and ran over to jump up and down in front of Harry.

“Can I open presents now, please please please?”

“Ted, calm down! They’re not going anywhere! Besides, do you see your nan or auntie, yet? No. So, let’s just go sit down for a little bit, okay?”

Teddy sighed and pouted as he made his way back towards his chair at the table. Harry winked at Draco as he waved his wand and a small box zoomed into his hand.

“Fine, here. Open this.”

Teddy’s eyes lit up as he took in the small present that Harry was holding out to him.

“Really?”

Harry nodded as Teddy took the box, tentatively lifting the lid, and then smiled.

“Thanks!” He pulled out a box of Bertie Botts and sat them on the table.

“You better not be eating candy for breakfast, young man,” Andromeda said, as she and Narcissa joined them in the room.

“I’m not, Gran. Harry just gave me a present to open while we were waiting.”

“We didn’t know how much longer you two would be, and the natives were getting restless,” Draco said with a nod to Ted. He had the decency to look sheepish.

“Apologies for making you wait, but we had a few more gifts to wrap before coming down.” Narcissa pulled out several things from the pocket of her robes. She waved her wand and they unshrunk before flying towards the tree.

Harry and Draco took turn kissing their cheeks and wishing them a happy Christmas before they all sat down and enjoyed their breakfast. They teased Teddy by taking chewing slowly, taking their time between bites, and chatting amongst themselves, before Draco laughed at an overly exaggerated huff that Teddy released, and they all agreed it was time to open gifts.

They sat around the tree, Draco distributing the gifts to everyone. They each took turns opening their gifts from everyone, letting the rest of the group ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over everything.

Narcissa loved the scarf that they had picked out for her on their trip, as well as the set of earrings that Harry had picked out. Andromeda received a set of earrings, as well, along with a delicate shawl.

Teddy was pleasantly surprised to see that he had received a new practice broom, as well as a piece of parchment that Draco had written and I Owe You for a trip to the south of France. They would be leaving right before Harry’s birthday, and would be gone for 2 weeks.

“Are you serious?!” Teddy jumped up and hugged Harry around his waist before moving over to Draco and doing the same. He walked back over to where he had been sitting near the tree and read the scrap of parchment over and over. He was still grinning as he made his way up towards his room an hour later, to get ready to go to the Burrow.

Draco was correct in that he knew that once Andromeda asked Narcissa to go with them, she would break and agree to go. She tried only briefly to say that Molly wouldn’t need another mouth to feed, when Draco told her that there would still be plenty of leftovers, and it would help alleviate Molly forcing them to take it home, if only by one plate.

They gathered the gifts that were meant to go to the Burrow, and once everyone was ready, the floo’d over. 

The house was loud chaos, as it always was, but they were all greeted warmly by Molly, who gave Narcissa an extra hug when she noticed her, and then shoo’d them off into the living room. Harry and Draco took their bags up to Ron’s old room, where they would be staying for the night. The room had been magicked larger, after all these years, and now had three large beds placed in it, as well as a crib.

They saw what looked like Ron and Hermione’s bags, as well as what they were guessing were Rose and Hugo’s things. They made their way downstairs, greeted by most of the rest of the group, and found a place next to Charlie on the couch.

It wasn’t long before a large group of parents and children came in from outside, and then suddenly, Harry had a lapful of his goddaughter.

“Unca Hawwy!”

“There she is! How’s my favourite girl?”

“Cold! We made five snowmans, and mummy taught us about snow angels, and and! Snow is cold!” She sounded winded when she explained it all, as if she had been running.

“That sounds like a lot of fun! You’ll have to show me your snowmen later, huh?”

“Okay!”

“Come on, Rosie, let’s go get you into some dry clothes,” Ron said, holding out his hands for his daughter. She leapt from Harry’s lap and skipped over to her father, but then turned back and ran to Draco, hugging his leg, and saying, “Hi, Unca Dwaco!”

Draco smiled at her and brushed at some melting snow in her hair. “Hi, Princess.” He watched her turn back to Ron and leapt into his arms as he took her upstairs.

“I love that little girl,” Harry said quietly.

“Me, too. Her little brother isn’t so bad, either.” He nodded towards where Hermione was walking out of the kitchen with Hugo in one arm, and a bottle of milk in the other. Her hair had melting snow in it, too, but the whimpering baby was occupying her at the moment.

“Mione,” Harry called. She looked over and her face lit up at the sight of her best friend. “Give me my godson, and you go follow your husband a daughter, and get some warm clothes on.” He held his hands out to her.

She glanced over at Draco, who just smiled. She quickened her steps over to him, and gently placed Hugo in his arms, handing over the bottle. “Thanks, Harry,” she said as she kissed his forehead. She leant over and gave Draco a kiss, too. “Be right back.”

Harry waved her off as he fed Hugo the bottle. Draco was slightly startled to feel someone step up beside the edge of the couch but rolled his eyes when he heard the whisper in his ear, “He looks good with a baby in his arms.”

“He always looks good, mother,” he replied quietly, looking over at his husband.

It wasn’t long after that Molly called everyone in for supper. The food was piled high on the table, and everyone tucked in with fervor. 

After supper, the children were give hot cocoa, and the adults passed around firewhiskey, and they opened presents. 

Narcissa was surprised and please to find that she was presented with a knitted lap blanket, in the palest blue Draco had ever seen. “Something to keep you warm while you read,” Molly said with a small smile.

Draco and Harry smiled at each other as Narcissa got up and gave Molly a hug. “Thank you.” Molly just nodded her head and presented Andromeda her gift.

Draco and Harry pulled their sweaters on, Harry’s navy with a yellow H, and Draco’s a pale blue, just like Narcissa’s blanket, with a black D. “My favourite gift,” Draco said with a smile.

“I thought I was your favourite,” Harry said, nudging his knee. 

“Not even close,” Draco said with a smirk.

Harry smiled and shook his head, before turning back to listen to Arthur and Ron’s argument about something ridiculous.

Draco looked around the room, taking in his large, loud family, and smiled. He felt Harry place his hand on his knee and squeeze and put his hand over his and squeezed back. He loved his life and wouldn’t have it any other way.

~*~*~

The next morning, Boxing Day, was filled with more laughter, more food, and more fun. The kids dragged Draco out to play in the snow with them, and they ended up making a large fort, where they set up a supply of snowballs.

Draco cast a protronus to call the adults out to the yard, and once Ron, Hermione, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Harry, George, and Angelina were outside, he yelled, “FIRE!” and the kids started pelting their parents and aunts and uncles with snowballs. This caused them to retaliate, and a half hour later, saw them all lying in the snow, trying to catch their breath. 

Not long after that, they all piled back inside where Molly had another batch of hot cocoa, and leftovers from earlier lined on the table. They made a buffet line, and snacked and drank as they got warm. It wasn’t too much longer after that that the yawning started to happen, so parents began packing their things up, and, after making the rounds, said goodbye and floo’d home.

Narcissa and Andromeda took Teddy back to the Manor, and Ron and Hermione took their kids back home. Harry had picked up their things that were downstairs, while Draco went and grabbed their bags out of the room.

“I think we’re going to head out, as well,” he said to Molly as he stepped off the last stair.

“I’m glad to see you both,” she said quietly. “I can see he’s doing…”

“Much, much better, yes. It’s still day to day, but…”

“But, you’re doing it together.”

“Yes.”

She patted him on one cheek, and kissed the other, and then went over and did the same to Harry. Harry kissed her back, shook hands with Arthur as he let go of Draco’s hand, and then they floo’d to Grimmauld.

“Ah, it’s good to be home”, Draco said, toeing off his shoes and placing them next to the hall closet, before coming back in and curling up on the couch. “Now all we have to worry about is New Year’s next week, and we will have survived another holiday season.”

“Indeed, it is good to be home, but we’re not quite done with Christmas, yet,” Harry said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you have two more gifts to open,” Harry said with a shrug.

“Again, I say, what are you talking about?”

Harry handed Draco two small boxes, each wrapped in red paper, with green bows.

“Open this one, first,” Harry said pointing to the one on the left. 

Draco gave Harry a perplexed look, but slid his finger under the spellotape, and took the paper off. He lifted the lid and gasped.

Inside the box lay a beautiful glass dragon that curved along its body. It sat upon two hind legs, and one front, the other in the air. “It’s gorgeous,” Draco said. “Wherever did you find it?”

“I, er, made it.”

Draco’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Do you remember how I said I had been taking a glass blowing class? Well, this was my first project that actually looked good.”

“You…you made this? After only a few months of lessons? How… how?!”

“Well…” Harry rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have cheated a little.”

Draco laughed at Harry’s face, before playfully rolling his eyes. “Of course you did. It’s beautiful, though. Is the other box another of your projects, too?”

Harry nodded and Draco carefully put the dragon back in the box and opened the other one. He lifted the lid and smiled wide. “The set. They’re perfect together.” He pulled out a stag, large antlers and one of the front paws raised as if it was pawing at the ground. 

He stood and carefully picked up both figures, gently placing them on the mantle, on either side of the picture set in the middle of the two of them on their wedding day. He turned back around and wrapped his arms around Harry’s middle. “They’re amazing. You’re amazing.” He leant in for a kiss. “Thank you, love.”

“You’re welcome. You really like them?”

“You’re kidding, right? They’re gorgeous. I can’t believe you made them.”

“It took me a few times to get the dragon right, but I just thought of you, and it practically formed itself. I love you.”

“I love you, too. So much.” He leant in for another kiss. “Do you think you’d ever take me to this class? I’d like to make you something, too.”

“I’d love to. They’re closed until after the new year, but how about the first week in January?”

Draco sighed into Harry’s chest. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope 2020 has started off great for you!


End file.
